If you are looking to HubSpot to create a more productive sales pipeline, you have likely encountered a common friction point: visibility. You know you have leads, but you don't know exactly what is happening with them once they reach the sales team.
A common question we hear from business leaders is, "How does HubSpot show me exactly where prospects are in the sales process?"
The answer lies in two critical, often confused fields: Lifecycle Stage and Lead Status. Getting these two aligned is the difference between a chaotic CRM and a predictable revenue engine.
Before diving into configuration, we must distinguish between these two properties. They work hand-in-hand but serve very different strategic purposes.
HubSpot Lifecycle Stages categorize contacts based on their relationship with your company. They answer the question: "How close is this person to buying?" (e.g., Subscriber, Lead, Marketing Qualified Lead, Sales Qualified Lead, Customer).
HubSpot Lead Status categorizes contacts based on the specific actions your sales team is taking. It answers the question: "What is the sales rep doing with this SQL right now?"
Think of Lead Status as a set of sub-stages within the Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) lifecycle stage. Once a prospect is nurtured and handed off to sales, the Lead Status field tracks the granular activity required to move them from "Interested" to "Deal Created."
Without this distinction, you end up with a "black box" sales process where leads enter the SQL stage and disappear until they either buy or vanish.
HubSpot provides a set of out-of-the-box options for Lead Status. While these can be customized, the defaults are built around a standard B2B sales cadence. Understanding the intent behind each is crucial for driving B2B sales growth with CRM tools.
Here is how a disciplined sales team uses these defaults:
Technically, you can customize these fields to say whatever you want. However, we strongly advise against adding or deleting values until you have a documented strategy.
If every sales rep defines "In Progress" differently, your reporting will be useless. You need a shared dictionary for your sales team.
To align your team, use a simple spreadsheet to record the definition of each field and the specific process required to move a lead to the next stage. This document becomes your "source of truth" for onboarding new reps and holding current reps accountable.
We have created a template to help you get started. You can use this to map your specific sales motion to HubSpot's fields.
Access the Lead Status Definition Sheet (Google Sheets)
For each status, you must define:
Here is an example of what that process documentation looks like:
One of the biggest pushbacks from sales teams is, "This feels like extra data entry." If you rely solely on manual updates, they are right—it will be cumbersome, and compliance will drop.
This is where HubSpot technology implementation shines. You can automate many of these status changes to reduce friction:
By automating the administrative work, you ensure the data is accurate without burdening your high-performers.
Why does this matter to a VP of Marketing or CEO? Because accurate Lead Status data unlocks the reporting you need to make decisions.
When your team uses these fields consistently, you can answer critical questions:
Without Lead Status, you only know that leads were generated and deals were closed. You miss the entire middle of the story where efficiency is won or lost.
If your portal is currently full of leads with no status or inconsistent data, do not panic. Start small.
If you need assistance configuring your portal to match your sales process, or if you suspect your current setup is leaking opportunities, we are here to help.